The Tokaido Shinkansen, or Bullet Train, Japan's high-speed railway, runs through densely populated areas of Japan, where noise and vibration levels are strictly regulated. Development of the next generation of low-noise trains is focusing on the difficult task of reducing aerodynamic noise. Use of Brüel & Kjær's PULSE beamforming system in wind tunnel tests to detect the aerodynamic noise sources of models has enabled improvements to be made to the design of the train to reduce noise. The long nose cone to the power car and the innovative wing-shaped pantograph, which takes the current from the overhead lines, help to reduce wind resistance at high speed.
« Click here to return to other case studies
